India’s Axar Patel with captain Suryakumar Yadav (ANI Photo) Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the team management’s decision to omit Axar Patel for the crucial Super 8 match against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026.India opted to stick with Washington Sundar in the playing eleven citing his favorable performance against left-handers. However, the move did not pay off. Sundar bowled two overs for 17 runs and failed to hit with the bat, scoring 11 at No.5, ahead of Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dub. India suffered a heavy defeat by 76 runs.
Why India is in deep trouble | T20 World Cup 2026 | India vs South Africa
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’ that while match strategies can work in franchise cricket, they are not always suitable for international tournaments where stability is key.“I agree that IPL is good for matches, but you have to change the team because you will play 14 matches. But in such ICC campaigns, the more stable you keep the team, the better,” Ashwin said.“I agree 100 percent that you have to use Washington Sundar against left-handers; you have to play him, I agree with all that. But Axar Patel was your MVP in T20 cricket. Let’s not forget what Axar Patel did,” he added.Ashwin argued strongly for Axar’s return and referred to the all-rounder’s contribution in the 2024 FIFA World Cup T20 final when India were under pressure in the chase against South Africa.“In the previous World Cup, in a situation against South Africa where India were in the hunt, Axar Patel came in under the same circumstances. He stitched a partnership with Virat Kohli and India went past 170. Of course Kohli’s experience was there, but Axar is no worse. If India had a couple of wickets in hand and stability, they would have chased Ashwin in the middle.”Axar, who is India’s vice-captain, was first rested in the match against Netherlands before being overlooked again for the Super 8 match in Ahmedabad. With the defeat leaving India’s semi-final hopes hanging in the balance, attention will now shift to their next encounter against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
